One-Third Of Small, Medium Businesses In Germany Targeted By Spies - Criminal Police

Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published December 06, 2018 | 10:48 PM

A third of small and medium German enterprises have been spied on by corporate rivals or other nations, the federal criminal police (BKA) said Thursday.

BERLIN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th December, 2018) A third of small and medium German enterprises have been spied on by corporate rivals or other nations, the Federal criminal police (BKA) said Thursday.

"One in three SMEs in Germany has been targeted for commercial or corporate espionage. The perpetrators are foreign states or rival businesses," the police report reads.

The BKA said half of enterprises across all branches of industry had reported suspected attempts by spies to steal their trade secrets.

"The threat comes from the inside - from disgruntled or former employees - as well as from the outside, for instance cyberespionage," the press release reads.

A fifth of small and medium companies - the backbone of the German economy and the biggest employers - admitted to having no strategy of protecting their products and ideas from spies.